On the Job

Avoiding Plaster Disaster

I recently had to cut two double-hung windows into a blank
elevation in an old house (circa 1870) that had horsehair
plaster and wood lath on the interior walls. To hold the
plaster together during the cutting and banging, I first marked
the rough opening on the interior wall with pencil. I then
covered the plaster with Carpet Shield — that
sticky-backed plastic stuff — keeping it inside the
limits of the interior casing so I wouldn't cause the
surrounding paint to peel off.

Next, I went outside and with a circular saw and a
reciprocating saw cut gaps in the studs to accept the header
and sill frame (1). After nailing off the new framing, I
drilled pilot holes through to the inside at the four corners
so I'd know where to cut the plaster. Back inside, I marked the
R.O. on the plastic (2), then cut through both plastic and
plaster with a circular saw. A helper outside grabbed hold of
the studs during the cutting and was able to lift the whole
rectangle of plaster, lath, and studs out and to the ground in
one piece (3, 4).

It worked great! The plaster stayed together, I ended up with a
clean cut on the inside, and using a shop vac on the circular
saw kept dust to a minimum inside the home. I didn't even have
to hire a plasterer to patch the wall.

Jeff Lingham is a carpenter in Ashland,
Mass.

A Floating Sink

by Chris Kennel

For this project, the homeowner — an avid orchid grower
— had us build a special room to house his plants. The
new space includes a heavy soapstone sink, which despite its
obvious weight seems suspended in the corner (1).

What you can't see is a steel support structure, which I welded
out of 4-by-4-by-1/4-inch steel tubing and a piece of
4-by-4-by-1/4-inch angle (2). On the right side, this frame is
bolted to the studs. On the left side, the tubing passes
through the wall and is anchored to the attic framing so that
the weight of the sink applies an upward force to a valley
rafter (3).

We tested the support by putting four carpenters on it. It
remained rigid, so we were confident it could carry the
300-pound sink.